August 9, 2014

Solar Decathalon 2002: Trojan Goat

From 2000 to 2002, architecture and engineering students at the University of Virgina worked on the first Solar Decathlon held on the National Mall in Washington D.C. sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. Fourteen team designed and built homes powered entirely by the sun. The house won 1st place for architecture (by judges that included Glenn Murcutt) and 2nd place overall. The team also tied for 1st Place in the Energy Balance category, and received several other awards.
The solar-powered house uses renewable energy systems, and
integrates building materials that maximize energy efficiency, while
minimizing environmental impact. A moveable facade can be adjusted to change the home's insulating values depending on the weather. The solar roof array powers the home and stores excess electricity in a battery array for use at night. Once the batteries are fully charged, excess power supplies the grid. The 750 square-foot home includes a living room, dining area,
kitchenette, home office space, bathroom, bedroom and sunspace. The award-winning solar home was donated to the Piedmont Housing Alliance (PHA), a Charlottesville non-profit housing organization. The PHA sold the home to raise funds for their low-income housing programs.

Assistant Professor John Quale of the School of Architecture and
Professor Paxton Marshall of the School of Engineering and Applied
Science advised the UVA Solar Decathlon team over the course of the
two-year project. Former engineering research scientist Dan Pearce also
advised the group. After the Solar Decathalon, John Quale initiated and serves as Director of the ecoMOD / ecoREMOD project, an interdisciplinary effort to design, build
and evaluate prefabricated and renovated housing units for affordable
housing organizations.